Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Teen and Two Men Shot at SEPTA 56th Street Station in West Philadelphia

A 14 year old boy and two men were shot Sunday evening at SEPTA's 56th Street station in West Philadelphia, at the end of a violent Halloween weekend in the city. Police were called at about 6:44 p.m. to the 5600 block of Market Street, where the elevated Market-Frankford Line station stands at 56th and Market streets, and the shooting was placed at about 6:45 p.m. in the first reports from NBC10 Philadelphia, 6abc Action News, CBS News Philadelphia and FOX 29 Philadelphia. All three victims were taken to hospitals. No arrests had been made in the latest reports, and police had released no description of a suspect.

The three victims

Police said the 14 year old boy was shot twice in his left arm and twice in his upper right thigh. A 25 year old man was shot once in his right arm and twice in his back. A 26 year old man was shot five times in different parts of his body. The 26 year old was in critical condition at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. The teenager and the 25 year old man were both reported stable. Police did not release the names of any of the three, and this report does not name them.

Philadelphia Police Inspector D. F. Pace told 6abc that the boy seemed to be accompanying one of the two men, but investigators did not know whether all three were acquainted. "It's unclear who exactly was being targeted by the shooter," Pace said, according to 6abc.

Where the shots were fired

The first police account put the shooting on the station platform. A SEPTA spokesperson later said the gunfire was outside the station. CBS News Philadelphia, quoting that spokesperson, reported that two of the victims were struck outdoors and that the third, who was riding a bicycle inside the station vestibule, was hit there and ran farther into the station. Police told 6abc that surveillance footage captures the gunman firing at the three as they headed up the steps toward the tracks, and NBC10 reported that police said the footage suggests at least one of the victims was deliberately targeted.

Reports also differed on whether a weapon was found. According to 6abc, police found a handgun inside a backpack, though its link to the shooting was not known. FOX 29 and NBC10 reported that police did not recover a weapon.

Trains bypass the station

6abc reported that SEPTA planned to run trains through the 56th Street station without stopping, in each direction, until the end of service on Sunday, while police worked at the scene. The station serves riders in West Philadelphia on the line between Center City and the 69th Street Transportation Center.

Police asked anyone with information to contact the Philadelphia Police Department or call the anonymous tip line at 215-686-TIPS, which is 215-686-8477, NBC10 reported.

A violent Halloween weekend

The station shooting closed a Halloween weekend in which shootings across Philadelphia killed and wounded several people, including teenagers. The outlets covering the weekend gave different running totals. FOX 29, citing police, tallied 11 shootings and stabbings that killed three people and injured 11, while CBS News Philadelphia reported that Halloween night shootings killed three people and injured seven. Police have not said the station shooting is connected to any other weekend incident.